


Each Our Own Devil

by divinemalefactor



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bullying, Dom/sub Undertones, M/M, Manipulation, Mentions of Mothman, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-07 10:57:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8798197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divinemalefactor/pseuds/divinemalefactor
Summary: i wrote this when i was 14 lads and then thought it was good enough to publish who let this fuckign HAPPEn   Elliot was running, always running, but he could never escape the town of Bellum or the claws of the beast who lived there. Between the shadows of the supernatural and that of his high school bully, Elliot wasn't sure which he was more afraid of.





	

It was with his lungs struggling to drag in air and a dark sky above him that Elliot, his back on damp grass and joints aching, came to terms with it. It; the thing that had bothered him for so long. The rusty monochrome town of Bellum and all of its inhabitants were involved, and how his mother had not known that was a mystery to him. She’d grown up in the quiet, sorry town and after moving back with her son had been adamant that it was a lovely place to live despite the fact the Elliot hated it. He was an outsider in the town and at school, and more than that he always seemed to be at the bottom of the pack. His mother had to have known what was going on at least a little bit when her son got back from school with angry red marks that slid into blue-green bruises overnight decorating him like a taunt, a claim, and a threat all in one. Rough and tumble. Boys being boys. Excuses after excuses along the lines of 'sport' and 'boys being boys' had passed his own mother's lips as she dismissed and discarded Elliot's claims of being hit, kicked, pushed, and once even mugged-- actually genuinely mugged at knife point. When no excuse had stuck solidly enough to cover that last particular incident his mother, as she put on her mask of makeup and unwieldy hooped earrings in thoughtless preparation for the night, had dismissed it as a prank. Elliot loved his mother, he did, but it was hard to be compassionate when she left at dusk and wouldn't return until dawn, drunk more often than not and cursing out Elliot's phantom father figure.  

 Born in Wyoming with an already unaccountable father Elliot never really had anything to miss or curse at, although all the books he had read in his life told him he had issues as a result of the absence. He’d never grieved over the missing man, although there were times he wondered what he would have been like. Had he been good or bad? Did he love Elliot’s mother as much as she had clearly loved him? Elliot’s only clue to anything regarding his father was his own reflection. Where his mother had rounded features, pink skin, and long blonde hair, while Elliot had skin a few shades darker than any tan could give. His black hair and brown eyes were also a distinct contrast to his mother’s features and remained his only hints as to when his father might look like. His imagination could never decide on whether the man might have been of Latino persuasion or a more Middle-Eastern sway. Although he didn’t crave a father, biological or otherwise, he supposed it might be nice to have an option to stay somewhere other than Bellum when his mother inevitably found her way back every few years. 

 Elliot never thought about Bellum too hard if he could help it, but it was always there, a repetitive melody stuck in his head even when he was travelling the rest of the country. The inconsistencies and unbalanced nature of the town were always waiting for him no matter where he ran, a record player stuck in a groove and unable to move on. When he did inevitably think about it too much it always ended with a dry sting in his eyes and the world going unfocused and nebulous around him, frustration and the thought of how _unfair_ it all was washing over him. All of his favourite books on ghosts and paranormal adventures hadn't prepared him for what it was actually like to live the nightmare of an unexplained mystery. 

 The concept of 'adventure' Elliot had always longed for was beaten into surrender by fear, and rather than sating his curiosity it seemed like every question he answered only led to several more. It was in Bellum he had given up chasing 'the unknown' and if anything was desperately scrambling away from it, unease darkening the sky of the little town and turning the air around him poison with foreboding. Elliot had never succeeded at shaking his dreams of the mysteries he used to believe were his 'Once upon a time'. There were no dragons kidnapping and guarding delicate princesses, and there were certainly no stupidly brave princes to save the day and sweep the princesses of their feet. No, Elliot's happy ever after had never once consisted of finding Mothman or solving the murder of a homecoming queen. These days Elliot would have been more than happy to fall asleep and never wake up in this world again. No Bellum, no school, no bullying, no being stabbed in the shoulder, and... no Felix.   

 When Elliot had arrived back in Bellum once again a few months back he was just glad Felix was old enough to have graduated school. It was the only available education in the town and taught children right from the age of six up until they finished high school. Elliot hated it. The only relief was his childhood friend Frankie, and only Elliot was allowed to call her that, everyone else was forced to call her Francesca. He suspected even someone like Felix feared getting on her bad side, despite her flamboyantly feminine character. She had been the one to step in after fourteen-year-old Felix had started bullying a ten-year-old Elliot for no observable reason. Seven years and a long absence on Elliot's behalf she was still his only relief, still the only one his age who would dare go against Felix's lingering ' _don't touch him_ ' directive from all those years ago. Frankie had been the one to keep Elliot safe and sane within school hours, but seeing as Felix had gone from school it shouldn't have mattered anymore. Elliot had underestimated how much sway Felix had over the school body. 

 Elliot couldn't have known that Felix would keep his morbid fixation on his misery even after leaving school. Fear had risen like bile in Elliot's throat as he read his mother's text after his first day back at school, that apprehension so sharp he could taste the bitterness of it at the back of his tongue. He should have known that a day passing by without incident was impossible for him in Bellum, but even so it took him a full minute of reading and rereading those words to fully process what she was saying. How could she allow this? She knew Elliot hated Felix, why would she allow her son to be in that psychopath's claws for a whole afternoon, passing him off and then notifying him over text like she hadn't signed what might as well have been a death warrant? He had swallowed a sob as he spotted Felix's tall figure leaning against a sleek but dented and scratched black vehicle across the carpark. He wanted to run, but he knew it was too late. It had been too late from the moment he stepped foot in the school, since he arrived in the town, since his mother decided to return to Bellum. Sure he could run, sprint all the way home without stopping, Felix probably wouldn't stop him. The compensation for fleeing, though... Elliot knew the price would be steep. It always was with Felix.   

 Frankie had already left, and all that remained for Elliot was the curious glances from fellow students. They knew who Felix was. Everybody knew who Felix was. Most of them knew the connection between the two boys as well, but if any were concerned for Elliot they didn’t voice it. With a jack-rabbiting heart and smothering cotton blanketing  his thoughts Elliot lurched into motion and forced his body to take the necessary steps towards the car. He’d made it halfway before Felix turned and slid easily into the driver’s seat, his confidence that Elliot wouldn’t run adding a twinge of annoyance to the dread Elliot felt as he made his way around to the passenger side. He refused to acknowledge the boy next to him as he hopped in a jerkily buckled his seatbelt, although he allowed himself a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. Felix had grown. Elliot couldn’t call him a ‘boy’ anymore, that much was certain. Pitch black hair and equally dark eyes were accompanied by a cocky and self-satisfied smile, his relaxed posture and aura of easiness furthering Elliot’s irritation. It should have been awkward. Elliot wanted it to be awkward. Despite the lack of conversation or music, though, it wasn’t, and Elliot hated it.  

 The ride was silent and short, which was some form of blessing and had Elliot thanking whatever deity or power was watching over him for small miracles. His luck didn’t last long, though. They had been driving for no more than twenty minutes before they reached one of many back roads in Bellum. With a sudden swivel of the wheel Felix had brought the car to a standstill on the side of the road, and Elliot could feel the nervousness replacing annoyance once more. People always said a cornered animal was dangerous, but what could a cornered fly do against the advancing spider? 

 "So you've come back again, Doll," Felix said, and a quick glance confirmed that the stupid grin from earlier was still fixed on his face. When Elliot didn't respond Felix gave an amused huff, the leather of his seat emitting a timid squeak as he leant closer to Elliot to get his attention. "Earth to Elliot Bassily, anybody home?"  
"What do you want, _Felix Park_?" Elliot retorted, mocking Felix's overly pleasant tone. Knowing he couldn't avoid Felix forever without genuinely annoying him, Elliot finally made eye contact and gave a cold glare. He wasn't the child he used to be, he refused to show just how intimidated he felt, so gone were the days he would allow Felix or the shadow of the town to simply walk all over him. Every little power play was a battle, now, and for once Elliot was engaging. 

"Oh," Felix crooned, surprise colouring the undertone of his mocking lilt, "Doll's got attitude now? Cute." Felix leant back once again, but his presence remained just as intrusive as it had been a second earlier, that same ridiculous smile still there. He was doing it just to annoy Elliot at this point. Elliot knew it and kept silent as he waited for his question to be answered. The two sat there for a few fractured minutes before Felix answered, the suspense of it all perfectly suiting his enjoyment of drama and love for causing Elliot discomfort. "Would you believe I'm here because I missed you?" He asked, that same condescending edge to his words. 

 "Stop it," Elliot snapped. He had had enough of this. "Just get it over with. Whatever it is you're planning, whatever way you're planning on creating a new nightmare for me, just get it over with," he trailed off, forceful anger falling into a hoarse whisper. So much for winning the battle. "… _Please_ , Felix. I don't know why you're doing this, I don't know why you keep hurting me and chasing me and ruining everything, but just-" Elliot brought both of his hands up and fisted them roughly in the front of Felix's button-up shirt, giving a few shakes for emphasis "-stop it." 

 Felix was deathly silent as he looked at Elliot appraisingly, sending a jolt of unease through Elliot, but at least that self-satisfied expression was gone. He looked disappointed, Elliot thought, although reading him always had been an oscillating skill. It seemed like it took no effort at all for him to wrap his hands around Elliot's wrists and squeeze hard enough that Elliot was forced to release his grip on the shirt. Felix was smiling again, but now beneath it all lay a steeliness not many people got to see, his predatory nature breaking through for the first time that day. 

Elliot had never understood what people meant when they said someone's eyes could 'sharpen'. It didn't make sense to him, not until now. He watched as Felix's eyes sharpened. It was all in the focus, eyes narrowing and the intensity of it all going hand in hand with the loss of his earlier relaxed manner. Elliot had never fought back before, not really, and he felt a spark of fear, waiting for the inevitable retaliation. It never came. Felix had dropped his façade, the one he kept up around all but his few friends and Elliot, but he wasn't going to hurt his prey yet. At least Elliot knew he was taking him seriously. 

"Figures you'd grow a spine right when it's about to fucking consume you," Felix huffed, turning to look out the front windscreen and running a hand through his hair. "It would be so much easier if you'd just been a stupid little runt. You used to be." 

"Well, who's fault is tha- excuse me, what?" 

"Yeah, I did pretty good toughening you up, didn't I?" 

"No. Wait. This doesn't-  this isn't-" 

"B-b-but Felix," Felix mimicked, mouth pulling down at the edges. "'Felix what do you mean? I had no idea you were right this entire time because I'm just a pretty face with shit for brains.' Get a grip, Doll. You knew this was coming, you can't go around with your nerd books and tinfoil hat without expecting it." 

Elliot would have dismissed this as another one of Felix's pranks, a sick trick playing on his hyperactive imagination and residual superstition. He would have, but as much as Felix could put on a show of being a funny and nonchalant rich boy, he was a terrible liar. When it came to face-to-face falsities he failed consistently, unable to keep a straight face. He never had to, not really. Not when his parents could pay their son's way out of trouble and provide coattails to the puppet strings holding up the crooked limbs and minds of every citizen of Bellum. Felix had everything and everyone in his spider web, and at the centre Elliot could struggle as much as he wanted, but the spider had him pinned, always waiting in the wings to bundle him up again. 

The rest of that particular conversation had been swallowed like specifically wretched cough medicine by Elliot, but the truth of it settled in his mind and sprouted, and inevitably came to him plastered to the wet grass and with what surely must be a broken rib or two. Elliot would know. He'd had enough of them. He struggled to his feet and continued his jagged sprint towards the forest. He had to reach the outskirts of the town, and after what had happened to his car his only option was to run the shortest distance to the perimeter. There were no clear markings there to indicate where the town ended and freedom began, so Elliot figured he would just keep running. He made it perfectly fine, the trees surrounding him in a blanketing and threatening comfort. He was still in danger, though, the feeling of it skittling like a beetle across his skull. 

Where there should have been beauty, far away from the smoke and industrial claws of humanity, there was a chilling hostility and a sense of 'not right' shrouding every inch of land and sky. Elliot can feel it brushing his skin, almost, the thickness of stale air in a vibrant forest. It should have been beautiful. It wasn't. Elliot paused as his body screamed at him to stay still and catch his breath, the adrenaline arguing and urging him to keep running. The sound of a twig snapping behind him startled him, spinning on his heel to face the direction of the sound, pulse racing even as his brain supplied how cliché it was. Behind him was a monster. Not the monster he was expecting, but a creature from Hell nonetheless. It was him. It was Felix. 

"It's okay, Elliot. Trust me. I'm here to help." 

So it was true. Felix may have been a spider, but this had never been his web.

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'd, so anything you want to point out? Go ahead. Criticism welcome, but this is my first time posting an original piece online so maybe be gentle? A little? It's explicit just in cas,e but I may take it down to Mature if it doesn't get too nasty.  
> Also wtf are updates lmao


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